$10,000 - $20,000

[Jolly]

3-10 acres, $10-20K.

At least, that's what LSU Ag Center thinks:

http://www.thetowntalk.com/story/new...arms/16212169/

[Harry Chickpea]

LOL! Backyard MaryJane.

[copperkid3]

Gary Perkins, executive director of Business Acceleration System, a program for local entrepreneurs funded by the Rapides Foundation and administered by CLEDA, said:
" I can show them places where people are making $100,000 a year on less than 10 acres."
++++++++++++++++++++++

And I say: "Mr. Perkins, please show us those places"......

[DLMKA]

I know people raising pastured chickens on <5 acres and netting $15k on the side. If you focus on high value crops and raise them intensively I think $10-20k is pretty reasonable on 10 acres. You have to work at it and need to be organized. Also have to have a market for what you produce that is willing to pay a premium. Living in po-dunk where everyone has a garden and chickens it's going to be hard to make any money on selling tomatoes and eggs.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Properly grown, you can grow 3000+ pumpkin plants per acre, figure 3 marketable pumpkins per plant at a wholesale cost of $2 per pumpkin.
With proper marketing, and focus on one good cash crop, $10,000+ per acre is achievable.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I remember my grampa making a couple thousand per acre back in the sixties raising alfalfa seed. He had about 50 acres planted to alfalfa, yield average at about a ton to the acre and price was around $2 lb. He had to split that with his share cropper, but he still made good money on seed for several years. Then daddy jumped in and put the whole 120 acres in seed, price dropped to around 28 cents and weather didnt cooperate for the next four years. I remember the last year there wasnt enough seed in the hopper to pay for the fuel to run the combine so we just burned the field off. It took him nearly 20 years working for wages to pay off the debts. There is good money in farming, if one tends to business, plays his cards right and has a lot of luck on his side. If not, it can become an ugly burden.

[AmericanStand]

Nothing Cheaper here than Corn . Last year if you had 150 bushel corn you made $1000 a acre gross this year you will need 300 bushel but on a small acreage that's doable!

[kilgrosh]

Maybe that's feasible down south because of the nearly year round growing season, but up north you would be very hard pressed to obtain those numbers.

[Molly Mckee]

Originally Posted by AmericanStand

Nothing Cheaper here than Corn . Last year if you had 150 bushel corn you made $1000 a acre gross this year you will need 300 bushel but on a small acreage that's doable!

The average corn yield is slightly less than 172 bushels per acre this year, and this is a record year. You might be able to get higher yields, but it is going to be very expensive. Heavy seeding and pouring on fertilizer and herbicides is going to cost plenty. You are also going to need very good equipment, which is silly for ten acres as well as very expensive. Corn prices have been dropping like a rock, there's a bumper corn crop as well as a big storage/transportation problem and in some areas prices are below $2.00 a bushel. These are normal farming problems...................

You can grow specialty crops, we had a neighbor that did pretty well growing ginseng, but they cost a lot to produce as well. You might do 1 to two thousand dollars an acre in a year when everything is perfect, but yearly, I doubt.

The farmers and ranchers that do well financially usually have inherited or have started buying animals and equipment as young kids ( or married someone that has) so they have a sound, paid for start as adults, as well as a good education in business and farming either from a successful family member or school. Starting a farm from scratch and making enough to support a family today is very hard. Simply getting the knowledge to be successful without growing up on a farm is going to take awhile and cost a lot, no matter how you do it.

[AmericanStand]

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

The average corn yield is slightly less than 172 bushels per acre this year, and this is a record year. You might be able to get higher yields, but it is going to be very expensive. Heavy seeding and pouring on fertilizer and herbicides is going to cost plenty.

Originally Posted by kilgrosh

Maybe that's feasible down south because of the nearly year round growing season, but up north you would be very hard pressed to obtain those numbers.

True ! I wasn't suggesting it as the best way to farm ten acres just pointing out how easy it is to hit the $1000 A ACRE gross mark.

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

You are also going to need very good equipment, which is silly for ten acres as well as very expensive.

I don't think it would be too bad I was at a auction last week where you could have set yourself up for that yield for less than $10,000

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

You can grow specialty crops, we had a neighbor that did pretty well growing ginseng, but they cost a lot to produce as well. You might do 1 to two thousand dollars an acre in a year when everything is perfect, but yearly, I doubt.

I think a variable value in crops is normal. But with a variety of high value crops it would help to spread the risk, just as was the norm a generation ago.

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

The farmers and ranchers that do well financially usually have inherited or have started buying animals and equipment as young kids ( or married someone that has) so they have a sound, paid for start as adults, as well as a good education in business and farming either from a successful family member or school. Starting a farm from scratch and making enough to support a family today is very hard. Simply getting the knowledge to be successful without growing up on a farm is going to take awhile and cost a lot, no matter how you do it.

Perhaps but sadly Ive seen those same conditions lead to losing a farm thats been in the family for generations.

[Molly Mckee]

You will need good equipment-- if you want record breaking yield you will need newer equipment and that is expensive. $10,000.00 won't even start with the kind of equipment you will need for the type of yields --300 bushel corn that was suggested. You don't want a combine that is dribbling corn, you need a perfect seed bed and weed control. To approach that type of yield you are going to have to use a high seed count and lots of fertilizer. With small fields, it is going to hard to get a custom combiner to come in, and if the fields are not planned well, the large equipment may not be a choice. In other words the cost will be excessive, and you won't see any profit.

You can't grow a lot of different commercial crops on 10 acres or less. You would have to be raising things that are labor intensive, and even then to make 10,000.00 in net profit, on an ongoing basis is going to be possible only in a professors theory.

Yes, some farms are lost after generations, but without lots of knowledge and experience, as well as paid for animals and equipment, the deck is stacked against you.

[AmericanStand]

I have to think that no matter what you do the deck is stacked against you!
But I think as far as equipment the only piece of that needs to be really good is the planter. Consistent seed placement is a key thing. Other than that there is no big magic to a good seedbed.
Fertilizer and herbicide are commonly hired. As for that combine Id skip that step and buy a pull type picker ,You would get better recovery with it .

As for consistently making $1000 a acre net there is nothing academic about it I know several who do.

You might want to look up the posts of veggiegrower.

[Molly Mckee]

You are not going to pick a 300 bushel to the acre corn crop with a corn picker. You will send most of your time with it jammed.

You might make 1000/acre on vegetables for the farmers market, but not every year and not without a hours of work. The more labor intense a crop is the better your chances, our neighbor did very well with ginseng but you don't harvest every year, and there is a lot of labor involved as well as cost with setting up posts and shade. Someone said you could do it with corn--on a very small piece of land -- I think it would be very hard to do it year after year. And netting that much is going to be a real problem, if you count all your costs. If you have 10 acres of pumpkins, I would think you would have to have a wholesale market for them, but I've never raised them so?

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Old man a few miles from me owns several hundred acres, he retired from farming (corn, wheat, beans) many years ago. He rents out all but about 10 acres, that 10 acres earns him between $3500 and $4500 per acre every year, and has for many many years.
He plants sweet corn on those 10 acres.
About 16500 ears per acre, that's 1375 dozen ears of corn per acre. This year he took his prices up from $3 dz to $4 dz, but even back many many years ago when it was $2 dz, at 1300 dz per acre, that was $2600 an acre. And that was 20 years ago.

So don't tell me you can't make $1000 an acre. This guy sells his corn under a tent at the end of his driveway. Sure, it might have taken him a few years to get to where he is now, but persistance pays off.

I would bet that you could clear $1000 an acre with almost any one crop you choose. It just takes work and will.

[AmericanStand]

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

You might make 1000/acre on vegetables for the farmers market, but not every year and not without a hours of work. The more labor intense a crop is the better your chances, ?

I think you are right on this, its never made sense to me that the guy with 400 acres raises the same thing as the guy with 4000.

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

You are not going to pick a 300 bushel to the acre corn crop with a corn picker. You will send most of your time with it jammed.

With ten acres you wouldn't have to be in to big a rush! Better yet don't bother to pick it , buy fall feeders and feed it standing.
Molly you seem to have a dislike of used equipment, why?

[Molly Mckee]

I don't dislike used equipment, my DH is a great mechanic. We were talking about record yields--the newer equipment does a slightly better job and you need every kernel of corn you can get if you want 300 bushels to the acre.

I don't think most people are going to do it, just because of location. The cost of bringing 300 bushel corn to harvest is probably going to be a net loss--unless you want the bragging rights. Most of the very high yield crops are planted in measured fields and raised carefully to prove something, not to make money on that field. Anyone planning on really high yields is going to find out how real farming works, IMO.

Raising garden crops or specialty crops will make you more money, they are more labor intensive as well. If all you raise is 10 acres of one crop, there are going to be years when the weather is bad, or the bugs are bad, or everyone else has a bumper crop as well. Making your plans on high yields can get you in trouble.

[kilgrosh]

Wait...I thought we were talking about $10,000 per acre? The article said "$100,000 on 10 acres or less". I don't think you can do $10,000 per acre each and every year. At least, in my opinion, not without a considerable amount of overhead that many do not have access to.

Now, $1,000 per acre is completely doable. And from what I have read from other threads, not all that difficult if you plan it right. There are simple cash crops (corn, beans, etc.), niche market crops (ginseng, cut flowers, fruits), and value added crops (dried herbs, Christmas trees (though not 100% on this one), etc.) that could make you $1,000 per acre.

So which is it: $10,000/acre or $1,000/acre?

[Jolly]

3-10 acres, $10-20K.

The $100,000 mark would be an isolated case, if I'm reading right.

[Molly Mckee]

Originally Posted by Dixie Bee Acres

Old man a few miles from me owns several hundred acres, he retired from farming (corn, wheat, beans) many years ago. He rents out all but about 10 acres, that 10 acres earns him between $3500 and $4500 per acre every year, and has for many many years.
He plants sweet corn on those 10 acres.
About 16500 ears per acre, that's 1375 dozen ears of corn per acre. This year he took his prices up from $3 dz to $4 dz, but even back many many years ago when it was $2 dz, at 1300 dz per acre, that was $2600 an acre. And that was 20 years ago.

So don't tell me you can't make $1000 an acre. This guy sells his corn under a tent at the end of his driveway. Sure, it might have taken him a few years to get to where he is now, but persistance pays off.

I would bet that you could clear $1000 an acre with almost any one crop you choose. It just takes work and will.

What are his costs? His net profit? Who picks the corn, who plants it? There are lots of costs involved in farming, every single trip across the field is expensive with the cost of fuel, and corn on corn on corn is going to need lots of fertilizer.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

Originally Posted by Molly Mckee

What are his costs? His net profit? Who picks the corn, who plants it? There are lots of costs involved in farming, every single trip across the field is expensive with the cost of fuel, and corn on corn on corn is going to need lots of fertilizer.

Picking- he and his grandkids pick it.
As far as corn on corn, he plants in two different spots, either side of the lane going back to his house. The rest of the farm is rotated, so he actually plants corn on beans.

Planting- he still has an old 4 row planter that he plants sweet corn with and a compact tractor.

Sweet corn seed can be bought for about $80 an acre.

Other expenses, I have no idea.